2015 BMW X5 M

BMW takes to the 'Ring in its most menacing ute ever.

What It Is: What’s bound to be the fastest and most powerful BMW SUV ever, getting the stink driven out of it—where else?—on Germany’s famed Nürburgring racetrack.

While most of the significant body modifications that will make the upcoming X5 M distinct from workaday X5s are covered by swirly paper, the huge air intakes on the front of these three test SUVs are pure M. The same can be said of the huge wheels, side sills, steamroller-esque tires, and quad exhaust pipes. Interestingly, the mirror-cap shapes vary among the three, and camo also covers their front fenders, which will certainly bear M-badged vents behind the front wheels. Note the retention of the X5’s standard rear spoiler above the backlight but the absence of roof rails.

Why It Matters: BMW’s M division turns anything it touches, even big stonking SUVs, into speedy profit machines—everybody wins! However, regardless of the extent to which money-making was an impetus for building the previous X5 M, it was a pretty incredible machine. That X5 M won a four-way comparo with the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo, so we’re expecting great things from its successor.

Platform: The new X5’s solid F15 platform should provide an excellent starting point for the M version. A performance-tweaked four-wheel-drive system will come standard, and the suspension will be lowered and stiffened to control body motions. We don’t expect the X5 M to gain or lose much mass this time around—figure on a curb weight just north of 5300 pounds—but we do think over-the-road quietness and high-speed stability will improve.

Powertrain: The X5 M will be powered by a turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 with output of nearly 600 horsepower and well over 500 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed, paddle-shifted automatic will be tasked with shifting duties. This will be an evolution of the powertrain found in the previous X5 M, where it produced 555 horses and 500 lb-ft of torque and could sling the big beast from rest to 60 mph in four seconds flat. Considering that the current X5 xDrive50i can hit 60 in just 4.3 seconds with only 445 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque, don’t be surprised to see the 2015 X5 M do the deed in the high threes on its way to a top speed likely electronically limited to 174 mph, the same as most BMW M cars.